What's The Matter Nicky?
by twonkout
Summary: Nicky stumbles home, only to find Ricky next to Rod again. But why does it bother him so much? Disclaimer: Avenue Q & the characters Rod, Nicky & Ricky were created by Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx.


**AUTHOR'S NOTES :**

This mini Rod & Nicky one-shot fanfic was inspired by Mushu Art's beautiful  
=== **_I Don't Sleep – Ricky, Rod & Nicky Avenue Q Animatic (YouTube)_**

Which itself is a continuation of CandyRadio's beautiful  
===**_ Please Never Fall In Love Again - Rod & Ricky Avenue Q Animatic (YouTube)_**

So thank you Mushu & CandyRadio! =)

****** **Just to be clear, this one-shot is NOT set in my usual Avenue Q Universe, as it follows an alternative path where Ricky & Rod form a closer bond.**

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****** Modification date in the format (Year-Month-Day)

**Modified (2020-01-22)**

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_**What's The Matter Nicky?**_

_Nicky stumbles home, only to find Ricky next to Rod again. __But why does it bother him so much?_

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**WHAT'S THE MATTER NICKY?**

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Nicky slowly moved the key towards the lock. He had barely slept in the past week and he was beginning to feel like a zombie. So he knew he had to get to bed. He knew he had to try and sleep. Still, at the same time, he didn't want to open the door, because he knew there was a high chance Ricky would be cuddled up to Rod on the sofa. And the sight of those two overly affectionate love-birds flirting, nuzzling and spooning was the very last thing his poor lonely heart needed to see!

Ricky always seemed to drop by late at night to visit Rod these days. And it sent shock-waves through Nicky's soul each and every time he saw that intimidating, muscular, protective green warden next to his adorable best buddy.

'Buddy.' The word echoed around Nicky's mind, like a haunted memory, like a ghost of pleasures past. Nicky sighed deeply. Why did that word suddenly send chills down his spine? He loved being Rod's bestest buddy, didn't he? He thought he did. But recently the word seemed so hollow, so empty, so painful.

Nicky felt a bitterly cold gust of loneliness thrash him in the face, as he stumbled into the apartment. Ricky _was_ there again, next to Rod. Why was he always next to Rod? Why was a total _'Rod noob'_ the one making his best friend of sixteen years feel special and safe? It seemed so unfair, when that was the _only_ job Nicky had ever wanted! The only job he had ever even been remotely good at in his entire meaningless life! Nicky frowned slightly. Surely, his purpose on this planet was to be by Rod's side, always? Wasn't it? Surely it was _his_ job to make Rod feel happy, right? Wrong. Thanks to his well-intentioned, yet ill-advised, interference in Rod's romantic affairs, that was Ricky's job now!

Of course, Nicky longed to bounce over to his roommate, hug his arms around him and never let him go! However, that was a fantasy. A fantasy that would never exist. And he didn't want to intrude on Rod and Ricky's little love in. So he decided to head back to the _Around The Clock Café_, and grab a few more pints of beer to numb the pain in his heart.

Rod woke up in Ricky's embrace to hear the door creak. 'Nicky?' He thought, as a green shadow quickly retreated from the apartment. 'Nicky, what's the matter?' He thought sadly.

It was a very weird sensation, but Rod could swear that he sensed a heavy cloud of intense misery descend upon his normally joyful, happy-go-lucky friend. He stared longingly at the door, wishing that he could chase after him and cheer him up. But he couldn't wriggle free from Ricky's grasp without waking him. Besides, even if he did rush after his depressed roommate, what on Earth was he going to say? After all, he didn't even know why Nicky looked so down lately, did he?

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**\- LATER AT THE AROUND THE CLOCK CAFÉ -**

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Nicky buried his head in his arms. He had drunken so much in the past few hours, so much that he was beginning to lose all sense of reality.

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_******* NICKY DREAMS *******  
_

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_The sparkle returned to Nicky's eyes, as he lovingly gazed down at Rod on the couch. 'Jeez, Rod looks so cute and happy tonight. Well, he always looks cute. But, gee, I wonder why he looks so happy?' He slowly lowered himself next to his adorable roommate on the sofa. 'Gosh, this feels so cozy, just the two of us, snuggled up here in front of the TV.' He thought, as warm fuzzy feelings rapidly flooded through his tired weary body._

_The room simmered with a low dull thud that seemed to quicken to match the accelerating heartbeat in Nicky's chest. And he gulped at the sight of Rod's fabulously flushed rosy cheeks and temptingly tasty moist lips. He felt so happy, as surprisingly soothing romantic notions washed away the dull ache of loneliness that had recently taken hold of his heart. And excitement once again pulsed through his body, causing him to shiver slightly in the presence of Rod's captivating cuteness._

_Nicky loved being next to Rod. He loved being by his best buddy's side. Indeed, he wanted to snuggle up next to his ridiculously adorable, smoking hot best friend, more than he'd wanted anything in his life! Rod's fiery red ginger hair glistened in the iridescent glow of the television in the most magical of ways. And Nicky beamed, as his amorous desires intensified. The mere sight of his friend's shimmering auburn quiff, seemed to make Nicky's skin tingle with excitement. But why?_

_Nicky felt a strange compulsion to sweep Rod into a passionate embrace. But he knew Rod didn't want that. Besides, he was straight, wasn't he, so surely that would only cause more suffering and heartache for both of them. He suddenly felt incredibly awkward staring at Rod so lustfully, so he quickly averted his gaze, and his smile soon drooped._

_Consumed by a fit of passion, Rod grabbed hold of Nicky's somber face. He lightly caressed the back of his surprised roommate's neck with his fingertips, as he gently but firmly guided Nicky's uncertain lips towards his own._

_Stunned by his friend's uncharacteristic forwardness, Nicky stared silently through Rod's crystal clear glasses, his soul instantly plummeting deep into his best buddy's gorgeous hazel eyes. Enraptured by the enticing raspberry aroma emanating from Rod's silky pink smile, Nicky couldn't help but follow his friend's lead all the way to its hot steamy conclusion. And gosh, what a conclusion! Because the instant his mouth brushed against Rod's deliciously fruity, sublimely soft lips, Nicky felt like he was in heaven! _

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_******* END OF DREAM *******_

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Awoken by a loud bang, Nicky groaned into his sweater sleeve, as any trace of his fantasy kiss with Rod quickly faded. He was alone again, all alone. He knew he couldn't sleep like this, so he slowly stumbled back to the apartment again. Perhaps Ricky had gone home? Perhaps him and Rod could snuggle up next to each other in their shared room, just as they had done for the past seven years? Perhaps him and Rod could be close again? Maybe one day they might even share a kiss just like in his fantasies? Maybe one day they could be as close as two people can get, forever?

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**\- BACK OUTSIDE ROD'S APARTMENT -**

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However, sadly it soon became clear that Nicky's dreams still remained nothing more than a fantasy. Because as soon as Nicky opened the door to his best friend's apartment, all his nightmares returned to haunt him.

Ricky was still there, next to Rod. And Nicky was still alone. Worse, he was alone, without Rod.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTES :**

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** All comments & criticisms welcome. I'm a huge Rod & Nicky fan, so I just write about them for fun! =)

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** I apologize for any poor grammar!  
=== I confess, some of my grammatical errors have become part of 'my style' in a weird grammatically incorrect way! Because I can't bring myself to change certain grammar mistakes, even though I know they are technically wrong! And yes, I'm mainly referring to the dialogue tags! Because the correct way, just looks odd to me now for some weird reason! Still, I apologize if it bugs anyone! =/

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** Thanks to Mushu Art & CandyRadio on YouTube!  
=== With a special thanks going to Mushu, as it was her beautiful, touching & awe-inspiring Ricky, Rod & Nicky animatic that inspired me to write this! Please check out Mushu's _**I Don't Sleep - Ricky, Rod & Nicky Avenue Q Animatic**_ on YouTube. =)


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